


here we are, two helping hands

by falsealarm



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Masturbation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-31
Updated: 2016-12-31
Packaged: 2018-09-13 14:29:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9127774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/falsealarm/pseuds/falsealarm
Summary: A chord of unease vibrates in the pit of Lena’s stomach as Kara sets the folder in front of her and says, “I need to talk to you about something important.”(AKA Lena and Kara team up to take down Cadmus.)





	

**Author's Note:**

> I like to think of this fic as Thirst™ with a side of plot. 
> 
> Big thank yous to [pirateygoodness](http://archiveofourown.org/users/pirateygoodness/) for encouraging the smut and [ratherembarassing](http://archiveofourown.org/users/ratherembarrassing/) for helping me find a plot to weave around it.

Kara comes to her with the story first. It’s nearly 9pm and Jess rushes in after her, apologizing for the interruption because although Kara is now allowed unfettered access to Lena, that does _not_ include restricted calls with Chinese investors. But the call is almost over so Lena shoos Jess away, lets Kara stay for confirmation of a follow-up meeting, for trivial goodbyes and Kara sits quietly on the couch opposite Lena’s desk, staring down at the file folder in her lap.

“Now, Kara, what can I help you with?”

Kara’s smile is forced and she bites her lip as she walks to Lena’s desk. A chord of unease vibrates in the pit of Lena’s stomach as Kara sets the folder in front of her and says, “I need to talk to you about something important.”

All her information is neatly collected in just that one folder, stapled and highlighted and underlined. Lena schools her face into something passive, unemotive as she flips through each page, scanning more than reading because she’s seen all of it before. She recognizes account numbers, file names, phone numbers and the slim list of suspected links Kara’s got on a bright pink post-it. She wonders how long Kara’s known, how long she’s been working on this. The information is surface but it’s enough for Lena to know Kara’s invested and she wonders who else knows, if _Snapper_ knows.

“And what is this?”

What little nervous energy Kara has left disappears as she squares her shoulders to stand upright. Her voice is steady, “Your mother is in charge of Cadmus, Lena.”

It’s a declarative statement, not a questioning note in Kara’s tone and Lena bows her head, steeples her fingers. Cadmus has barely made itself known to the public, has been skirting around the shadows of National City for weeks now with a street team of anti-alien scumbags. They tag buildings and post up flyers which was innocuous for a time but Lena’s started hearing reports of aliens getting beaten, supposes that’s why Kara’s in her office to begin with. But it’s nothing the public noticeably cares about, they’re causing just enough of a stir to start a whispering of attention. Lena suspects they’re recruiting too but she’s not interested in their grass roots efforts, she knows her mother has something bigger planned.

She thinks she should feign outrage, defend her mother’s honor because she doesn’t need Kara butting into her business but she also doesn’t have the energy for the extensive lying that requires, her day’s already been stressful enough. Silent seconds stretch between them and Kara’s body language shifts almost imperceptibly but she moves enough that when Lena looks up she can see a hint of Supergirl in Kara’s stance: feet firmly planted, shoulders back, eyes steady. She wonders why _Kara_ is the one in her office to begin with. Why Kara when Supergirl’s mere presence would bring gravitas to the situation? She wonders if Kara thinks this information would be better accepted from a friend, feels her stomach drop.

 “I see no proof here,” her voice is cold as she closes the folder and leans back in her chair.

“No _proof?_ ” Kara tenses up, takes a step forward and bumps her thighs against Lena’s desk so hard the whole thing shakes but she doesn’t wince at the contact or even notice it.

“I see a shell company and dummy account numbers and a _post-it note_ of notorious anti-alien supporters in National City. It’s information, not proof.”

There’s nothing of Supergirl in the way Kara’s face scrunches up in anger, or the way her fists clench and un-clench at her sides. Kara stumbles over her words, “you can’t just, I did all this research myself.”

Lena looks down at the file, slides it across the desk, “sub-par research, Miss Danvers. It’s defamatory and grossly inaccurate and if you abuse my open-door policy with kiddie journalism like this again, I’ll rescind your access to the entire building.”

Her voice has more bite than she intended and she sees the consequence of it in Kara’s eyes, a flash of disappointment behind the anger. Lena turns away, presses her intercom, “Jess, Miss Danvers is on her way out, please see to it she leaves the building.”

The threat of security does nothing to ease the fire in Kara’s eyes and she snatches her folder from Lena’s desk, flies out the door before Lena has a chance for second thoughts.

Lena tips her head back to stare at the ceiling then closes her eyes, breathes in deep. Lena knows Cadmus is rearing up for something soon, it’s only a matter of time before her mother strikes. She’s been tracking a string of expenditures all week that hint at a new project, nothing grandiose but enough to cause a stir. She’s close though, close enough to smell the stench of her mother’s duplicity, acidic and rotting in her nose and Lena doesn’t need Kara’s help for this, doesn’t want her or Supergirl getting in her way now. If another Luthor is going to be ruined Lena wants it done by her own hand.

She tells Jess to leave for the night then dives into her work head first. Cadmus has weaved a wicked web in L-Corp’s system and Lena tails her mother’s handiwork through thread after thinning thread. It took a while to pick up the trail but Lena can find it easily now, knows where her mother has buried her work, where she’s seen fit to hide her villainy. Nothing looks changed but still Lena works until her shoulders ache and her eyes burn, the bright white of her monitor a beacon in her dark office.

It’s past midnight when she finally gets home and her body is tight with stress. The thick sludge of it coils around her muscles as she moves upstairs, shedding her clothes as she goes. She turns on the shower when she gets to the bathroom, divests herself of the rest of her clothes, pulls her hair free. Her reflection is exhausted, bags under her eyes, lipstick already half gone and she rubs the rest of it off with the back of her hand as the room fills with steam. She ducks under the showerhead, closes her eyes and sees Kara’s clenched fists behind her eyelids, the disappointment in her blue eyes. She stays under the squelching heat of water until her skin is red and raw. She knows Kara will be back, that she hasn’t won yet, but Lena doesn’t know if she _wants_ to win if it means shutting Kara out time and time again.

She dresses slowly in the dark of her bedroom, slides into bed and stares up at the ceiling. Her mind is still racing with account numbers and code names and Lena closes her eyes, tries to push everything out.

She loses another hour to the mad scrambling instead, looks over at the clock to find 1am rearing its head. There are sleeping pills in the bathroom but they don’t work as well as they used to. Her doctor says she’s built up an unhealthy tolerance to them but Lena prefers to think they’re just not strong enough. It’s not too late for a drunk but the liquor cabinet’s downstairs so Lena turns to her bedside table, pulls out the next best thing.

It fits perfectly into the palm of her hand and Lena switches it on before settling it between her legs, arches a little against the vibration. She needs a steady hand at the start, laser focus for long, trying moments because her mind is still riotous and her body’s response won’t enough to see this through. She has to shift for a new angle twice then slides her hand and the device beneath her underwear for better contact, makes a keening noise into the quiet room at the sudden jolt of pleasure. She closes her eyes, imagines hands from times past, mouths and tongues and she rocks her hips against the memories. She runs a hand under her shirt, skirts along warm skin and palms her own breast, pinches the peak of a nipple, twists her hips at the accompanying sensation. The soles of her feet start to tingle, cool and light, then her back begins to arch and her orgasm hits with a full body contraction.

There’s a flash of Kara’s face somewhere in that initial spark of her orgasm, anger in her eyes and the gentle snarl of her lip and Lena’s so overcome with her pleasure she can’t push it away.

Her back bows, her abs flex and the muscles in her legs go taut as the fingers of the free hand at her thigh dig into soft flesh. She hisses at the cold-warm scrape of her nails against delicate skin but her voice catches in her throat. A moan half-formed, more breath than noise, slips from her lips and she keeps the vibration at her clit, rocks against it drawing every bit of her orgasm out, rocks and rocks until her body shakes with exhaustion. When it’s over, when she can’t bear the touch any longer, her body crashes to the bed and Lena breathes out heavy, hot, feels her heartbeat in her ears and her chest and between her legs. Her muscles are jelly and she can barely keep her eyes open anymore so she turns off the vibrator and lets herself fall, down, down, down into a heavy, dreamless slumber.

 

+++

 

Kara’s back three days later.

“She’s just so fast,” Jess says in a huff as she puts a hand on Kara’s shoulder in an effort to stop her walking any further into the office. Kara obeys silently but Lena can tell she’s in for more of a fight this time.

“It’s fine, Jess. I’ll call you if I need anything.”

Jess nods, releasing Kara who immediately moves to Lena’s desk, opening her bag to pull out her file and it’s noticeably thicker as she sets it down in front of Lena.

“I got your proof,” is all she says.

Lena lets her eyes settle on Kara. She’s on defense now: her posture is straight, commanding but in a way that still hints at her frustration, arms crossed over her chest like she can’t believe she has to explain herself again. Lena lets her eyes linger a little longer, clocks the straight line of Kara’s clenched jaw, the gentle flex of bicep beneath her shirt. She waits until she sees Kara squirm under her gaze before she reaches for the file.

There’s a lot more there this time. Some of it familiar again but most of it is completely new information. Redacted classified files from the military, satellite photos, a financial trail a mile long on her mother for the past six months and so much more. It’s nothing Kara Danvers, junior reporter, could get, it’s far too sensitive. Lena wonders if Kara knows that, if she realizes she’s giving herself away by showing Lena what she has.

Her research would be helpful, surely, but Lena can live without it, can find other ways to get this same information or things similar. She closes the file, is on the tip of a reply when Kara says, “you need my help.”

It takes Lena by surprise and she looks up at Kara, finds a steely determination in her gaze.

“Your help with what?”

Kara uncrosses her arms. “I know you know.”

“You know I know _what_ , Miss Danvers?”

Kara’s getting more frustrated by the second but her voice doesn’t betray it. “About your mother, about _Cadmus_ , Lena. I know you’re doing your own research and you need my help.”

“You _know_ that I need your help?” Kara sounds so sure of herself but Lena can still hear frustration in her voice, sees something akin to pleading in her eyes and she wonders if maybe it’s Kara that needs _her_ help.

Kara’s fists are near to clenching at her sides and Lena hopes Kara isn’t this easy to crack. She watches as Kara closes her eyes, breathes out and when she opens her eyes again Lena can see Supergirl peeking through again in the bright blue of her irises. There’s a power in her voice when she speaks next, not forceful but authoritative, like she wants Lena to listen to her.

“You need my help and I’m going to give it to you whether you like it or not.”

Lena gets a rush of heat between her legs, presses them together to quell the feeling but that only seems to make it worse as Kara stares her down. She’s seen the tailing shadow of this attitude in Supergirl before, the determination, the confidence but it’s different coming from Kara Danvers. Attractive, unfortunately.

Her information does look solid though and Kara, _Supergirl_ has access to military intelligence which, for once in her life, Lena actually needs. Lena also knows she won’t be able to shake Kara now, this reads like a last ditch effort and Kara’s intentions are clear, they’re going to work together no matter what Lena says. Lena takes a second to gather herself, places a flat hand against the top of the file. “Fine.”

Kara’s brows furrow in confusion, “what?”

“Fine,” Lena repeats herself, “you can help me.”

The steel slips from Kara’s eyes and her posture slouches a little, like she’s realized the fight is over and might be a little disappointed. “Oh, really?”

For a second Lena thinks she could take it back but then Kara’s smiling at her and Lena wouldn’t dare. “Yes, _Kara_ ,” Lena confirms again.

“Can we, I mean, do you want to start now?”

“If you’d like.”

Kara takes a step to the side of Lena’s desk in a move to round it and Lena pushes her chair to the side as Kara joins her, leaning over the desk and opening the file again. She picks it up, scans it quickly then sets it back down, plants her hands flat on Lena’s desk and Lena watches the muscles of her forearms shift beneath her skin.

“This is a good place to start,” Kara says.

The next two hours becomes Kara explaining her intel as best she can with Lena adding notes, for clarification, for things they should look into. She gives nothing of her sources, focuses instead on the information they have, makes her own notes on what she should attempt to find next. Lena tells Kara what she has access to, what she can confirm. She’s hesitant to share more, knows how self-destructive this free exchange of information could be especially since Kara’s a _journalist_. When she voices as much Kara assures her this isn’t business, won’t be unless Lena _wants_ it to be. She wants to _help_ Lena, in any way she can and Lena believes her.  There’s no surprise in Kara’s reaction when Lena tells her how deep her mother’s dug herself into L-Corp’s system. Lena wishes there had been, feels a stab of something cold in her gut as Kara just nods her head and moves on.

They transfer to the couch halfway through and Kara spreads the file’s contents across the coffee table. She pulls out her laptop and Lena her tablet then they’re making more notes on the dummy accounts, the financial records Lena has access to and the rap sheets of a couple known street members. The space between them shrinks as the night progresses and Kara keeps leaning into Lena’s side as she reaches for files on the coffee table, paying no real mind to their proximity but Lena notices. Kara runs hot and Lena feels the heat of her skin through the thin material of her dress, feels her thigh flex when she leans forward.

It's quarter to 9pm when Kara’s phone rings and she answers it in a hushed, “I know, I’m sorry.”

Then she’s out the door with apologies to Lena and promises to call her tomorrow because they have real work to do now. She leaves the file and Lena collects its contents, brings them home and puts them in her wall safe. When the operation was a solo mission there had been no concrete plan, Lena was hoarding information, file after file, thread after thread hoping that inspiration would strike on its own. That somehow Lena would stumble upon some valuable piece of intel that would spur a brilliantly-executed takedown but she’s been working for weeks to no avail. Kara’s information is a step in the right direction and her hunger for justice is refreshing but Luthors are known for their dubious morals and Lena doesn’t know if Kara will be willing to work the way Lena needs her to.

Lena hasn’t eaten dinner yet but she pours herself a glass of wine anyways, sits on the couch and flicks on the tv just in time to see Supergirl on the news, hefting a semi-truck trailer over her head before setting it down safely on solid ground. She smiles for the camera, bright and charming and Lena sees a glint of Kara in her eyes before she rockets off into the sky.

 

+++

 

Kara becomes a fixture in Lena’s office over the next week. They meet when Lena is free, Kara pushing around her schedule to accommodate Lena which means rushed lunch meetings and quick check ins for morning coffee. Lena tells Jess they’re working on an article for CatCo, on how L-Corp is going to revitalize National City and Lena knows it’s a weak lie but it works well enough that Jess doesn’t ask questions. They leave their bigger sessions for after hours, usually in Lena’s office with the lights low and the two of them tucked on Lena’s couch. They eat take out and Lena drinks wine and tries to pretend that the way Kara keeps touching her is entirely platonic, that Lena’s imagining the way Kara’s eyes keep flicking down to her lips.

They’ve barely made any headway.

Kara’s intel is still cursory for the most part, despite Lena’s initial intuition that it would be helpful. The satellite images are months old and the military files give them code names they can’t pin to any one stream of data. Lena spends most of their meetings tracking financial figures, trying to identify Cadmus’ revenue stream, to make sure it isn’t coming from L-Corp itself. And for the most part it isn’t, the web Cadmus has weaved is only loosely connected with L-Corp, the only concrete connection a shell corporation that stopped receiving funding last year. Kara keeps her focus on the street team, identifying who they are, who they’re associated with and Lena wonders if Supergirl does that part of the job or if Kara’s been spending her nights tailing bad guys in khakis and a pastel button-down.

The mood around the office, around Lena starts to change. Lena feels more eyes on her than usual and Jess says Kara’s name like it’s unwelcome on her tongue. Lena can _smell_ the paranoia in the air when she enters a room. There’s no stealth to what they’re doing. Kara shows up all hours of the day, has been in the office nearly every day this week and as bubbly as Kara is she’s still a reporter and no one is immune to the suspicion her presence breeds, especially in a company as powerful as L-Corp.

Lena calls Kara on a Friday to reschedule, to tell her they need to find a better venue to meet. Kara interrupts her midway though. “We can meet at my place.” Her voice is sunny even over the phone.

“Is it safe?”

“Definitely,” Kara answers.

Lena supposes Supergirl herself is all the security you need, really, so she agrees.

\---

Kara’s halfway into a takeout container when Lena arrives later that night, chopsticks in hand when she opens the door. She mumbles a “sorry” around her mouthful, moves to the kitchen to set down the food and wipe at her mouth. “Sorry,” she repeats, “I thought I could finish before you got here.”

“It’s alright.” Lena closes the door behind her, “you must be starving.”

Kara stills, hand tight fisted in her napkin as Lena turns to face her. Lena sees a small spike of panic in Kara’s eyes, realizes perhaps she should have chosen her words more carefully. The thought would be perfectly harmless to a normal person but Lena knows for a fact that _Supergirl_ was dealing with a five-alarm fire in the warehouse district a half hour ago. Lena also knows that, like Superman, Supergirl expends mass quantities of energy while utilizing her powers which means she probably carb-loads pretty consistently. But Kara doesn’t know she knows that and this doesn’t seem the time to share so Lena moves to the island, adds, “You said you skipped lunch, didn’t you?”

Kara takes the bait, nodding her head in agreement, “oh, yeah.”

“You can eat, I don’t mind.”

Kara scoops the container back up with a smile, “is the couch okay?” She’s already heading towards it, is halfway to sitting when Lena picks up her bag to follow.

Then it’s work as usual.

They have a little less access to information because they don’t have a line in at L-Corp but Lena’s dug as deep as she can in her own files, has exhausted her system to no avail. Kara’s got some new information this time, is still keeping her sources hush hush but it’s low-grade military intelligence, Kara hasn’t made any show to try and hide that fact. Lena doesn’t know much about the organization Supergirl works with but she wouldn’t be surprised if they had an entire team working on Cadmus. The intel Kara brings is still sparse though, with Kara relying more on Lena’s connections than her own which denotes perhaps the DEO aren’t as focused on Cadmus as Kara would like them to be.

Kara’s dinner disappears shortly after they start working but Lena hears Kara’s stomach growl not a half hour later. The sound seems to surprise Kara because she jolts a little on the couch, bumping into Lena’s knee. “Oh,” Kara laughs, “sorry.”

“Still hungry?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Kara reaches up to rub a hand at the back of her neck. She looks a little embarrassed for a second, a tinge of red lighting up her cheeks but then she’s smiling. “Hey, do you want ice cream?”

Lena hasn’t bought groceries in a few weeks, has been living off take out herself and most take out does not include dessert. She nods her head, “that sounds lovely.”

Kara pulls out an excess of ice cream from her fridge, looks only mildly embarrassed when Lena comments on it and mumbles something to the effect of “it’s important to have comfort food on hand”. They each get their own bowl of chocolate, filled with a modest amount of ice cream but the look on Kara’s face says she’d much rather be eating the entire container herself.

They eat mostly in silence, reading as they go because Kara’s printed out some message board threads from a few anti-alien sites that seem promising. Lena loses her appetite halfway through her bowl, the vitriol she’s reading makes even _her_ stomach turn and when she looks up at Kara she’s clenching her jaw, hard. Lena reaches out on instinct, pulling the pages from Kara’s lap and Kara looks up at her in confusion.

“I can read these, I’ve heard worse.”

Kara’s jaw relaxes and her eyes soften a touch too much for Lena. She recognizes the pity there, rightly placed but she doesn’t want or need it. “You’re sure?”

“You don’t need to read this,” Lena answers simply and she almost misses the flash of gratitude in Kara’s eyes, catches the twinkle of it just as she turns her head to finish reading.

Lena decides to leave an hour later. They’ve run out of new intel and Kara’s already half-asleep, propped up on the arm of the couch with her laptop perched precariously on her knees. Lena reaches over to close it and Kara startles, knees bucking up and she simultaneously reaches for Lena’s outstretched hand and her falling laptop, catching both with ease. She sets the laptop on the floor with a sheepish smile but doesn’t let go of Lena’s hand.

“What-,” her voice is quiet, caught in her throat and she clears it once, swallows, “What time is it?”

“It’s only 10,” Lena answers, eyes flicking from their joined hands up to meet Kara’s eyes.

Kara stretches a little, arches her back and rolls her shoulders and her grip on Lena’s hand loosens as Lena’s eyes trace the line of Kara’s neck, the curve of her breast beneath her blouse. Lena moves to pull her hand away but Kara grasps it again, squeezes a little.

“Thank you,” Kara says, pausing to look down at their joined hands, “for earlier.”

“I’ve heard it all, nothing fazes me anymore.” An outright lie because Lena can still feel the ghost of a shiver down her spine from one particularly vicious thread of messages near the end of her pile. Specious hatred from scared little men. But she’s built to handle it better than Kara is, has spent her life fending off abuse on all fronts. Luthors have steel spines for a reason.

“But it should.” Kara meets Lena’s eyes and Lena sees that pity again but there’s an anger there too. It’s been a long time since someone’s been angry on Lena’s behalf before, not since Lex and Lena feels the sharp stab of that loss cold in her stomach, quickly pulls her hand away from Kara’s

“I should get going.”

Kara stands when she gathers her things, follows her to the door but she pauses before opening it. She’s hugging Lena before Lena realizes they’re close enough to touch. Her long arms wrap easily around Lena’s back, pulling her close and Lena’s face gets pressed against Kara’s neck. She smells something floral, the faintest scent of summer. Lena’s too startled to hug back or even respond at all but Kara doesn’t seem to mind, lingers just long enough that Lena misses the heat of her when she steps back.

Kara opens the door. “I’ll text you tomorrow.”

“Yes,” Lena answers, “okay.”

 

+++

 

There are lips on her neck, the hot press of a tongue against her pulse point and Lena arches into a warm body. She feels hands on her hips, sliding against bare skin, the grip of strong fingers holding her in place against the wall behind her. Lena’s hands are on naked skin too, skidding against ribs under a half-unbuttoned blouse and Lena palms a breast, feels the vibration of a moan against her neck.

She pushes forward, tries to navigate them to the nearest bed but they’re not in her house. They’re somewhere warm, bright and Lena sees the shift of white curtains blowing in the breeze next to her. She smells wildflowers in the air when she finally spots a bed on the far side of the room and it only takes one small step to get to it, the room moving to meet them. The lips against her neck are sliding up as Lena shifts, turning so the woman against her can fall to the bed first but she doesn’t budge, stands firmly in place as she kisses up Lena’s neck, her jaw. Lena sees a flash of blue eyes and then Kara’s kissing her and the world tips on its axis.

Lena follows it, pushes Kara to the bed and straddles her hips. Lena’s body feels like it’s on fire when Kara leans up to kiss her again and she licks into Kara’s mouth, sucks on her tongue, claws at her back in an effort to pull her closer. Lena touches every inch of skin she can find, slides her hands into Kara’s hair and grinds against her lap, hard and sloppy. Kara laughs against her mouth.

Then there’s pressure between Lena’s legs, the slip-slide motion of fingers against her opening before Kara pushes two fingers inside her. Lena bites hard enough on Kara’s bottom lip to draw blood but Kara doesn’t seem to notice, just keeps thrusting to meet the rock of Lena’s hips. Kara kisses her neck, nips and licks and bites down against Lena’s shoulder. Lena’s on the cusp of her orgasm, rocks once, twice then there’s a loud blaring to her left and when she whips her head to look for the noise she sees the glowing numbers of her alarm clock.

Then she blinks and suddenly Kara’s gone. She’s back home, morning light streaming in through her windows and her bed is empty but the heat between her legs is still a blazing, monstrous thing. Lena slides her hand to meet it and all it takes is the hint of a touch as Lena comes undone with a muffled cry against the back of her hand, body wound so tight the explosion of her orgasm surprises even her. When she returns to Earth and re-inhabits her body there’s sweat on her brow, between her breasts and her underwear is wet with arousal. She’s an unmitigated mess.

Her alarm is still blaring and Lena reaches out with an unsteady hand to smack it into submissive silence. Then she reaches for her phone and there are three missed calls from Kara, two voicemails and a string of nearly incoherent texts. Lena closes her eyes, lets out a deep breath and dials her voicemail.

\---

It’s been months since Lena’s been behind the wheel of her own car and the steering wheel feels unfamiliar in her hands. She’s a few blocks away from Kara’s place, their phone call still at the forefront of her mind but Lena still feels the phantom heat of Kara’s lips on her neck and an ache between her legs. She tries to shake the lingering sensations, focuses on the thrum of her engine, the feel of leather beneath her fingers. When Lena pulls up to Kara’s building she’s standing just outside with a backpack slung over her shoulder. She’s practically vibrating when she slides into the front seat, tucking her bag between her legs as she closes the door behind herself.

“Are you ready?” She’s all smiles and Lena tries to avoid looking at her mouth, fails.

“How many coffees have you had today?”

“Oh,” Kara says with a laugh as she presses her hands flat to the tops of her knees in an effort to keep them from bouncing, “none?”

Lena shakes her head then puts the car into gear and joins oncoming traffic.

Kara’s voicemails were mostly incoherent too but Lena had picked out a few key phrases in the second listen through: “massive lead” and “just a few hours away” which was enough to give her a hint of what Kara had planned for them. When Lena finally called her Kara wouldn’t give her source but she promised the trip would pan out, that it was time-sensitive and that they needed to move now.

Lena managed a brief appearance at work before deciding to clear her entire day.

Kara’s still bouncing in the passenger seat as Lena pulls onto the highway out of National City but Lena keeps her eyes trained on the road. The radio is playing softly between them but it’s low enough that it’s mostly unintelligible which almost makes it worse than silence.

“What time did your intel say he got off work?”

“His shift ends at 3pm, we should get there just in time to catch him.”

Lena tuts, “Ambush tactics aren’t reliable, are you sure he’ll talk to us?”

Kara ducks eye contact and that’s the only answer Lena needs, this trip isn’t going to be nearly as easy as Kara implied it would be. “He should,” Kara says after a few seconds.

“Should doesn’t mean _will_.”

“It’s fine, he doesn’t need to say much.”

“We can’t just play twenty questions with him, Kara.”

Kara pushes her glasses up her nose as she finally looks at Lena, brow knitted in consternation. There’s a little fight in her eyes but not enough to produce an actual reply so Lena sets her eyes to the road again, listens to the hum of the radio.

\---

There’s nothing but desert the further east they go. Miles and miles of open land, dried brush and cacti and mountains always in the distance.

Lena hasn’t been on a road trip since her twelfth birthday. She remembers Lex picking her up after class on a Friday, promising her a fun-filled weekend in a bright red convertible. They’d spent a day in Paris, another in Amsterdam purposely seeking out tourist traps and spending their money on gaudy souvenirs. Lena had eaten so much she’d nearly thrown up twice but Lex held her hand and spoke horrible French and she had never loved him more. The weekend had ended with a stern talking to from both their parents but Lena doesn’t remember having a more perfect birthday.

There’s a painful twist behind Lena’s ribs and she feels the threat of tears in her eyes, quickly blinks them back, refocuses on the road, the lines on the pavement, the stretch of desert ahead of them.

\---

They’re still four hours away when Kara pulls out her snacks, pretzels and baby carrots and a pack of cookies that already looks half-eaten. Kara offers them up as soon as she pulls them out, silently setting the bags in the cup holders between them and Lena waits a few seconds before taking a few pretzels. She sees Kara smile out of the corner of her eye, feels a warm tug in her chest.

\---

Kara turns up the radio three hours in, starts singing under her breath and Lena listens more to Kara than the accompanying music. She’s got perfect pitch, sings each song as easily as the last and Lena wants to be surprised but she almost expects Kara to be secretly good at everything. Lena gets swept up in a few songs, starts humming along but she’s monstrously off-key but doesn’t seem to mind, she just smiles and offers Lena another cookie.

\---

They get stuck in traffic and the man they’re supposed to meet, Thomas Caplan, is gone by the time they pull into the parking lot of his work. The lot is almost empty and Kara is hopeful but Lena knows better, they’ve missed their chance.

“Do you have anything else on him?” Lena asks after Kara’s third obvious sweep of the parking lot, her head on constant swivel.

Kara unzips her bag, pulls out a one sheet with some basic details: a photo, his address, work schedule and at the bottom Kara reads out: “Known to frequent _The White Horse_. That’s a bar, I think,” Kara pulls out her phone, taps a little at the screen and pulls up a map, shows it to Lena. “Only ten minutes away.”

“Kara, it’s 4pm.”

“Oh, yeah,” Kara’s face droops as she turns back to her phone but she perks back up almost immediately. “We have time for lunch now though.”

Kara finds them a diner in the middle of town, a plain little place with apparently phenomenal Yelp reviews. Lena orders a BLT and Kara orders a cheeseburger and they’re so impressed with their meals they slide into a companionable silence as soon as they start eating. They linger to use the wifi and Lena replies to a number of meeting reschedules from Jess then something apparently urgent from a Chinese investor. His reply is immediate and absurdly flirtatious and Lena has the urge to drop her phone into her water glass, decides to find them a motel instead because she has no plans to drive the five hours home tonight. Kara calls her sister and Lena hears quiet apologies as Kara leaves to take the call outside. She comes back in looking a little dejected but smiles at Lena when she pays the tab.

The motel is the cleanest one she can find. It’s a shabby strip of buildings off the highway but the lobby’s carpet is clean and there’s a fresh pot of coffee ready for consumption which is better than Lena expected. She gets them two rooms, lets Kara choose her key card and they walk side by side down the hall, hands brushing slightly as they stop just outside their doors.

“We need cover stories,” Kara says as Lena slides her key card into her door. It clicks open and Lena turns the handle, pushes it open. Kara makes no move towards her own door so Lena opens hers wider and Kara bustles past her inside.

“It’s a bar, Kara, you only need to be there to drink.”

“But someone might recognize you.”

“Would anyone really believe a Luthor is in the middle of nowhere Nevada drinking in a scummy bar on a Friday night?”

Kara’s brows furrow, “how do you know it’ll be scummy?”

“ _Kara_.”

"Okay, but still-.”

“I can blend in, Kara, don’t worry about me.”

“But-,” Kara starts and her eyes scan Lena’s clothes. She’s dressed for work, clean slacks and a blouse only slightly wrinkled from the day’s drive but it’s all designer, nothing you’d expect to see in a dusty desert town.

“Oh.”

“It’s okay.” Kara unzips her backpack, starts digging around in the bottom of it until she pulls out a sweatshirt, “I brought disguises.”

“That’s a sweatshirt.”

“Yes, technically, but is it something you would normally wear?”

Kara tosses the garment over and Lena holds it up in front of herself. It’s a National City University hoodie, navy blue and well-worn around the sleeves. Lena gets a whiff of laundry detergent as it sways in front of her.

“No,” Lena says after a second, “I would not.”

“A perfectly acceptable disguise then,” Kara beams.

But the disguise isn’t enough for Kara, she pushes for cover stories again and Lena doesn’t have the energy to protest so she acquiesces, lets Kara’s mind run wild. Kara’s is easy, she’s home from college for the weekend to visit her parents who live a town over, simple and easy to remember. But Kara’s imagination starts to wander a little when she starts on Lena’s story. Kara chooses her words carefully, keeps pausing in the middle of her sentences to rephrase or change her idea completely. Lena goes from science teacher to IRS auditor to flight instructor in the span of five minutes and Lena watches silently, perched on the edge of the bed with Kara’s sweatshirt in her lap.

It’s amusing at least but Kara’s mind is too scattered to land on anything concrete and Lena’s starting to get a headache as she watches Kara pace the room. “We could always be girlfriends,” Lena says after Kara diverts to another occupation.

That stops Kara in her tracks, hands mid-gesture in front of her. Lena had honestly expected her comment to go unnoticed but instead Kara’s blushing all the way to her ears. Lena’s learned that it’s impossibly easy to get Kara to blush but this time Lena doesn’t know if it’s because of her delicate alien sensibilities or something else. Kara looks on the verge of a short circuit either way. “Or roommates,” Lena adds quickly.

Kara relaxes immediately at the addition, nods her head slowly, repeats the word, “roommates.”

“Honestly Kara, it doesn’t matter. No one’s going to care what we do for a living, we’re not going to make friends, we’re going to get intel.”

Kara seems unconvinced but she nods her head anyways and heads for the door. “I need to get changed, just give me ten minutes.”

\---

They still stand out like sore thumbs when they get to The White Horse a half hour later. Lena heads immediately to the bar for a drink and Kara follows close behind her but rebuffs Lena’s offer to buy her anything.

“Kara, we’re at a bar.”

“But I don’t drink.”

Lena shakes her head, orders herself two fingers of the most expensive scotch they have and a soda water for Kara. Kara takes one sip of it and nearly spits it in Lena’s face, slaps a hand over her mouth at the last second to prevent the explosion and the water dribbles down her chin instead, soaking the front of her shirt. Lena hands Kara a napkin and all but pulls her to a table on the other side of the bar, away from the attention they’ve already started to garner. Kara pats at her chest fervently as they move which just draws _more_ attention and Lena has to resist the urge to down her drink when she looks up and realizes Kara’s started to unbutton her blouse.

“ _Kara_ ,” Lena’s voice is a forced whisper, harsh in her throat.

“What?” She’s still patting at her chest and Lena stares hard at her drink in an effort to avoid making direct eye contact with patch of bare skin exposed at the vee of Kara’s open shirt.

“If you unbutton your shirt any more we’re going to be neck deep in drunk assholes in a matter of seconds.”

Kara’s got an impossibly naive look on her face when she glances up at Lena but then she takes a quick look around them and pulls her shirt tightly closed. She turns to use Lena as a makeshift shield as she buttons her shirt back up, elbow gently nudging Lena’s side as she works. She’s nearly all buttoned when Lena catches sight of a man approaching, dirty jeans, baseball cap scuffed at the bill and a beer bottle in hand. He’s walking with purpose but Lena lifts her chin, gives him the dirtiest “don’t fuck with us” look she can muster and he doubles back before he’s even made it within twenty feet of them. Kara turns back around just as he sits back at his table, his buddy laughing at him so loud he starts hiccupping.

“Did I miss something?” Kara asks as her eyes quickly land on the raucous laughter.

“Nothing.” Lena takes a sip of her drink, leans an elbow on the table to balance herself.

They go an hour before Caplan shows up and he looks almost nothing like the image Kara presented her in the car earlier. Lena’s on the cusp of ordering a third drink when Kara claps a hand on her forearm and Lena just stares at it, gets the sense memory punch of pressure between her legs then Kara squeezes and she snaps to.

“That’s him.”

Lena’s head swivels. His hair is longer but he’s shaved his beard and his skin is dark with the solid tan of a man that spends his days in the sun. He enters alone but he heads towards a table in the far corner, the two men from earlier, and Lena can’t believe their luck today.

“Shit,” Lena mumbles under her breath as she tries to take a swig from her empty glass.

“What?” Kara leans into Lena’s side and her hand slides up to the crook of Lena’s elbow.

“Nothing.”

But Kara’s eyes perk up a little and her head tilts just enough that Lena can tell she’s trying to listen for something, wonders if Kara can hear how loud her heart is beating. Lena sees the hint of a blush at Kara’s collar, briefly wonders what the range of her super-hearing is before Kara lets go of her arm and straightens up.

“I’m gonna go talk to them.”

“You’re what?”

“We came here to talk to Caplan, I’m gonna go talk to him.” It’s a bit of forced confidence but Kara wears it well.

Then she’s off across the bar without a second word and Lena watches on, captivated, at Kara manages to squeeze her way between Caplan and his friend at their little table. There’s a series of handshakes between the group then laughter and Kara turns back around, smiles wide and warm at Lena and it settles comfortably in her chest. Lena orders another drink and keeps watching, mind generating an unending list of possible conversations Kara could be having but nothing seems to fit the mood of the table. It’s jovial to say the least, one laugh after another, smiles all around and Lena knows that Kara is charming but this is whole other level.

Kara returns to her a half hour later with two shots and another bright smile.

“Kara, what just happened?”

Kara sidles in close to Lena, leaving no space between them and slides one of the shots into Lena’s open hand. “Don’t worry about it, just take the shot.”

“What is it?”

“I have no idea but Greg said his girlfriend loves it.”

“Greg?”

“Lena just take the shot.” Kara knocks hers back swiftly and Lena follows suit, tastes vodka and Goldschlagger? Something else too but overwhelmingly it tastes sweet like a cookie and while it isn’t entirely unpleasant it’s not exactly what Lena was expecting and it certainly doesn’t mix well with the scotch in her stomach.

Kara’s smiling back at the table, raising her empty shot glass and she softly elbows Lena to do the same. Her smile isn’t nearly as bright as Kara’s but the guys smile back anyways and when Lena turns back around she’s met with Kara’s face, impossibly close to hers then Kara is _kissing her on the cheek_ and Lena is so startled she nearly pushes her away. But sometime between taking the shot and the kiss Kara’s slid an arm around Lena’s lower back and her grip at Lena’s hip tightens, holding Lena in place. Lena swallows thickly, feels the cold swish of liquor in her stomach, the heavy thump her heartbeat somewhere in her gut too.

“We can go now,” Kara whispers then Kara’s guiding them both towards the door and Lena has to try very hard not to trip over her own feet as they move out into the cool night air.

The temperature change is just sobering enough for Lena to become very aware of how good Kara smells as they walk to the car. Then Lena’s in the passenger seat and Kara’s behind the wheel and they’re driving the ten minutes back to the motel in near silence, the radio barely audible between them.

“Kara,” Lena chances after a few quiet minutes. She can still feel the clutch of Kara’s hand at her hip, strong fingers pressing into soft skin.

“I said we were girlfriends,” Kara says quickly, “that you were territorial so I wanted to apologize for earlier.” She keeps her eyes on the road and Lena stares at her profile, furrows her brow.

“Apologize for earlier?”

“When you quote ‘scared Eddie so bad he almost pissed his pants’.” Lena laughs a little to herself and Kara turns to her with an amused smile. “Which you didn’t need to do, by the way.”

“I was protecting your honor,” Lena jokes, the uneasiness in her stomach gently dissipating the longer Kara smiles at her.

“Which I’ll thank you for later.” Lena swears she sees the hint of a wink but she’s a little drunk so she might be hallucinating. “Caplan had some good information for us though. He said your mother tried to recruit him for a job last month but the pay wasn’t good enough so he told her no.”

“A job?”

“She didn’t tell him what it was but his rap sheet is mostly aggravated assault, burglary and arson so it couldn’t have been anything good.”

“That’s all he said? Nothing else?”

“He said it sounded like she was looking to cause some mayhem.”

Lena closes her eyes, sighs loudly. There’s a tingly of something pressing in at her temples, a painful little itch of a headache because this isn’t what Lena expected. She thought her mother would go for a calculated play, something Lena could track, something she could plan for and derail but mayhem is chaos for the sake of chaos and Lena doesn’t know how to combat that.

There’s heat at her leg and when she opens her eyes Kara’s got a hand on her knee, squeezing gently, “it’s okay, we’ll figure this out.”

Lena lays her hand on top of Kara’s, holds tight until they get back to the motel.

The last shot hits Lena just hard enough to screw with her balance as she heads up the stairs to their rooms and Kara’s quick to keep her upright. Her hand slides around Lena’s waist again but it’s a little softer this time and Lena happily sinks into Kara’s side as they move down the hall. She continues to stay close as Lena fumbles for her key card in the bottom of her bag, only releasing her hold when Lena takes a step forward towards her door. It clicks unlocked and Lena turns the handle, pushes it in. When she turns around Kara’s eyes briefly flick down to Lena’s mouth and Lena instinctively licks her lips but she stays put, takes a step backwards into her room.

“Night, Kara.”

“Night, Lena.”

Then Kara’s gone and Lena’s room isn’t spinning but she does have a strong urge to lie down. She still has Kara’s hoodie on, feels the lump of the hood behind her neck as she falls to the bed and she sits upright just enough to shuck it off and toss it onto the bed behind her, suddenly impossibly hot. Her blouse rucks up as the sweatshirt leaves and she tugs it off afterwards, makes quick work of her boots and trousers next. The bed’s comforter is scratchy against her skin but Lena likes the rough sensation against her legs, scoots a little further up on the bed so she can lay spread-eagled at the center.

The ceiling of her room is water stained, creeping edges darkening the further out each bloom gets and Lena doesn’t think she’s ever been in a motel before, let alone slept in one. She wonders if Kara’s ceiling is as stained as hers, if her bed linens are just as scratchy. She reaches out a hand to grab a fistful of the bedspread, lets her fingers trace the plastic thread as she scrunches it between her hands and feels the tug of the fabric under her back. Her senses are still sharp from the liquor in her system and her skin’s vibrating a little, her feet and hands mostly but there’s a twitch of something between her legs too.

It’s a dull ache and suddenly Lena feels the ghostly press of Kara’s hand on her thigh, her lower back, her hip and then sharply the thrust of a hand between her legs. Lena snaps her eyes shut, breathes out slowly as she runs her free hand across her stomach and her nerve endings electrify, every sensation shooting straight to her core. She lets her hand slide lower of its own accord, over her underwear, teasing strokes up and down between her legs. Then she slips underneath the fabric, works easy circles against her clit, hips rocking gently with each turn.

Her body’s still drowsy but it’s waking up faster with each stroke and it’s not long before Lena’s breathing out audible little gasps. She wonders if Kara can hear her through the wall, if she can _see_ her and that sends a little thrill up Lena’s spine, between her legs. Her hips rock harder, eager for pressure and speed and Lena can feel the tug of her pleasure creeping in, closer and closer. She moans when she comes, a strangled thing but it peaks sharp at the end and Lena grasps tighter at the bedsheets as her back arches gently.

It’s a tame little thing, just enough of a release that Lena’s mind feels just as drowsy as her body now. She stands slowly on wobbly legs, pulls back the covers and slides inside, pulls Kara’s sweatshirt back over head before tucking herself in. She listens to the hum of the radiator kick on as she slips into sleep.

\---

The clock on the bedside table reads nearly 8am when Lena wakes up to a loud banging on her door. She hears her name muffled through it and nearly trips over a chair as she rushes to open it, finds Kara standing right outside. The sun’s already up, bright in Lena’s eyes and she feels the swift and painful throb of a headache at her temples as she brings a hand up to shade her eyes. Kara’s are downcast now, staring blatantly at Lena’s bare legs because Lena’s still wearing only Kara’s hoodie. She’s shocked into silence for a moment but then she rallies, focus moving back up to Lena’s eyes. Lena sees something like worry in them, a sliver of fear, hesitancy.

“I have to go,” she says quickly.

Lena’s still half-asleep, turns into her room to look for her purse, “I can be ready in five minutes.”

“No,” Kara’s voice wavers and when Lena looks back at her Kara’s eyebrows are furrowed, like she doesn’t know what to say next, how to explain herself. Then something clicks: _Supergirl_ needs to go but Kara doesn’t know how to tell her.

“It’s okay,” Lena takes a step forward, reaches out to tug at the collar of Kara’s shirt and she sees the telltale blue of her suit underneath, wonders if it’s been tucked away in Kara’s backpack this whole time. “I already know.”

Kara’s eyes widen in realization, a mix of surprise and confusion settling into her features. But on top of all that she looks relieved, thankful almost that she doesn’t have to say it out loud. “I’ll,” she starts, stops to wet her lips, “we can talk later.”

“Go on, Kara, don’t worry about me.”

And Kara smiles at her, this gentle thing that tugs as Lena’s heart as she shoots off down the hall. A second later Lena hears a loud whoosh from the behind the building then the familiar bang of the sound barrier breaking and Kara’s gone.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you all enjoyed the masturbation. Self-care is terribly important, take it from Lena Luthor.


End file.
